Worm Ideas Archive
by Nero200
Summary: A collection of snips, what-ifs of Worm, mostly based around Taylor with a different power set, some crossovers, some not. All are cross-posted from SB/SV. Worm belongs to Wildbow, other properties belong to whoever owns them, Ie; Not me.
1. Administration through- 1-1

**Administration through Superior Firepower**  
Alternate Power/Trigger.

**1.1**

* * *

Looking out over the docks from the pier at the inky black sea, I was lost in thought.

Idly designating the oilrig that served as the PRT's base a Target, I felt the rush of of power as every single aspect of the hovering building was considered in an instant, a trigger formed in my mind, an itch in my finger, just waiting for me pull it.

A powerful feeling, knowing I held so much strength at bay, that it would leap at my demand.

It would be enough to completely destroy the iconic building, the force field defenses would be destroyed by… raw strength it seemed, nothing exotic needed to take them down, before the rest would was annihilated by a combination of heat and force.

It was almost disappointing how many things didn't seem to need more than that.

Letting the power fade as a frown crossed my face beneath the half face mask and tinted MX goggles, my power may not be able to harm me, but it could be very bright, hence the very basic costume I sported, in case I needed to use it.

Sighing as I considered all of the things I had declared Targets in order to get a better feel for my power than the pillar of destruction it had been when I first found it and pulled the trigger.

My efforts had unveiled some knowledge but it could be summed up easily enough, complete destruction of anything I pulled the trigger on, mostly small objects with a couple of larger tests in the shipyards, as well as a feeling of certainty that everything else I had Targeted would have be eviscerated.

I sighed again, my mind refocusing on the afternoon she had Triggered as the guilt hit me once again.

I had killed him.

He had been killing others, would have killed me as an afterthought, but the fact remained that I had killed Lung, as well as whatever the other creature was, information had been scarce but it seemed she was a parahuman too, one of the 'Case 53's'.

And the worst part? I felt justified, there was some guilt, but also the knowledge that what I had done was the right course of action, and… I felt that it outweighed the guilt.

Did that make me a horrible person?

Two people had died by my hand, and there had been so much damage...

They were gone, and could never come back, they wasn't enough for even Panacea to revive them from.

I had done that.

I thought back on the pair of blasts that had accomplished the tasks with a strange dullness swamping my mind.

Raw power had turned Lung into nothing more than a thin mist sprayed across the street even as all glass within a block had splintered inward, the front of the store I had been in front of just gone. As well as the… the bodies of those his flame aura had killed.

I shook my head, mentally shifting onto the second cape I had murdered in broad daylight, the one that had been creating some sort of evil copies.

She had been different, it wasn't pure power that had ended her though had been plenty of punch in the blast, just a little less than Lung had needed, there had been something different, a change in the… hue?

Something in the wave of golden light had been different, a variance that bypassed whatever had let her survive the other capes attacks to annihilate the creature.

There hadn't even been mist left of her, just scorched ground and shimmering air.

I had ran immediately after. In shock I think.

It was only later that I realized that… that..

Deep breaths, deep breaths…

And that led me to here. Out on the docks in the middle of the night, waiting for someone I wasn't sure was going to recruit me or arrest me, just that they knew who I was, and had an offer.

All I knew was that a letter had arrived for me, letting me know that someone out there knew I was and what I had done, and that if I showed up here, now, they had a proposition for me.

There had been no threat, but they didn't need one.

I had come because I didn't want Dad mixed up in this, and because I didn't want him to know I was a murderer.

I turned from my thoughts to the light source approaching me from a diagonal angle across the water.

Whoever it was, I would listen to what they have to say, and they turned out to be a villain?

I smiled slightly as the metallic figure landed a fair distance from me and slowly approached.

Well, as I said, I had yet to find anything I couldn't solve with sufficient firepower and my power had never failed to supply it.

_Target Designated_

* * *

This one has been bugging me since before I wrote the Dark Souls and Nasu ones, and has sat half written for about the same amount of time.  
I am aware that Taylor's personality and mood jumps quite a bit, that is from multiple rewrites and me getting annoyed at the snip.

My main issue was that Taylor was too powerful, and that I was more interested in the powers than the story they would create, so I am putting it up here to see if anyone can see a way of fixing that and if, perchance, anyone liked the idea enough to take it off my hands, since I don't think I will be writing it any further.

I should point out that inspiration was drawn from the Omake in Hope Through Overwhelming Firepower for both the basic concept and title.

Power Explanation/Description 

**Shard**: Administrator - Executor/Termination/Troubleshooter Manifestation.  
**Role**: Power was designed by the Entities to end escalation/manifestations of Shards that endanger the Cycle, executing the bearer and freeing the Shard to find a new host with its limitations checked and reinforced  
**Trigger**: Caught in a rampage by Lung and Noelle, Administrator pinged/recognized both Escalation (Lung's Shard) in a state of high activity and the corruption/damage of Noelle's Shard, which triggered a safety protocol in it that "The Cycle is Damaged" and unlocked the Termination manifestation in response.  
**Blaster/Trump**: Scale to Target and Denial of Defense.  
**Thinker**: Temporary immunity to Precog similar to the Endbringers is included in this manifestation, to avoid having the problem solver ended before they can deal whatever it was meant to. This basically means immunity to Precog while a Target is locked in.


	2. Grim Cooperation 1-1 DarkSouls

**Grim Cooperation**

Worm/Dark Souls

**1.1**

* * *

I nodded to myself as my second knight rose from the fading circle on the pavement, stepping forth into the dusk. It's plate-mail shone darkly as traces of something similar to but different from smoke wisped from his form as it took up a position to her left flank, settling into a guard position. A swordsman, or a knight, that was good, a nice and general Shade. Paired with the other knight I had already summoned I felt safe with starting my patrol.

This was my third real patrol and I really hoped I could find something that my messages didn't warn me away from. Both other occasions the orange warnings had discouraged following any interesting sounds or indicators, even with a pair of Shades backing me. I sighed a visible breath, they were, however, correct.

If I had followed up on the more promising path from my last patrol I would have ended up in the crossfire between ABB and the Undersiders, and considering that Lung was present at the conflict, along with the reports on the incident over on the PHO…

That would have been quite a bit more than I thought my Shades could take, their strength was that they could fight for me, not any special durability of their own beyond a normal if strong human from my tests, what few I could accomplish on my own within their time limit, and they didn't seem to be able to harm one another when I had them attack one another, so my options for damaging them had been limited even beyond my unwillingness to harm them.

Nor could they explain anything themselves, being that they were completely silent, even if they weren't projections.

I wasn't sure if that counted as a Stranger aspect, when they broke something it still made a sound.

It was a puzzle I found intriguing every now and again.

"There goes another tangent" I commented to my heavily armored guards, before starting on my patrol down the street, taking care to heed my warnings so not to tread too far into the any of the major gangs territory.

About 10 minutes later, I spotted an interesting orange message scrawled near the entrance of an alley way.

**-Safe but Help Woman-**

That held promise, something I could handle without dying.

"Hold" I ordered my shadowy knights, before focusing on the area, the ground becoming overladen with more and more orange colored scrawls before my eyes.

**-Low Danger but be wary of Thief-**

A mugging then.

**-Woman Fear on Left-**

Nothing on my left here, so left of the alleys end.

**-Thief with Group Poison Medicine-**

Medicine poison? Oh, Drugs! And Group must mean gang, so Merchants, or at the very least a druggie, mugging a woman on the left of the alleyways exit.

_Fast_

I rushed down the alley with my knights flanking me, then outpacing me as they burst from the alley.

Pressing against the the wall at the end of the alley, I scanned the ground for any helpful messages before my senses dulled as I tapped there's.

_Take him down, but no permanent damage_

Twin viewpoints flickered to life in my mind, a rapidly improving if shaky vision of the man and woman, the man holding a switchblade and pointing it at the scared looking woman.

My Shades charged at the back of the ill-dressed man holding the young woman to the wall.

They slowed as they got into close range, immediately engaging the panicking druggie, "Shit! Capes!" the flat side of a long sword smashing his clumsily raised knife arm down, tearing the blade from the man's grasp and drawing a pained yelp from his throat. I heard it with a slight echo from my multiple viewpoints.

My other Shade quickly slammed an armored fist into his stomach, knocking him a few meters back and to the street with a painful gasp.

_Scare him off_

Both of my knights stood as tall as possible, their intimidating 7" stature and broad armored forms allowing them to tower above the mugger, and leveled their blades at the man as he wheezed and weakly struggled to his feet.

He looked at them, and I saw the resignation flash though the fear on his face as he turned and ran.

The woman spoke up then, "T-thank you… ?" she trailed off, questioning my knights names.

I grinned to myself beneath the bandanna and gave a mental order.

_Bow, and __**Banish**_

My knights bowed to the dark-haired young woman, my view dipping to the pavement, before shimmering out of existence in a rush of smoke and mist as I released the mental tethers to them.

I did it! I helped someone! I stayed there, leaning against the alley wall breathing in the crisp night air and smiling to myself for a few minutes in happiness of what I had achieved with my powers.

As I was walking out of alley on the side I had originated from, I decided to let myself indulge this once.

I knelt down to the ground roughly where I had spotted the original message to help to woman, now long faded and focused.

I traced the letters with my eyes closed, making sure to use the words my power would allow.

Then I stood, checked my pockets for my pepper spray and keys, and jogged home, leaving behind three words that would get me through the rest of the week at Winslow easily.

**-I did it!-**

* * *

**-Example- **Is meant to be orange, however FFnet does not allow colored text.


	3. Veer 1-1 Coil Power Taylor

**Veer**

_Coil!Taylor_

1.1

* * *

It still made me smile.

The sheer difference having my power made was amazing, I could do Anything.

There were no consequences that could touch me from my indulgences, and that was just the start.

The path not taken no longer held any weight, because I could walk them both, measure up the differences, and declare one of them real.

From the simple things like what flavor ice cream I wanted, to getting a better look at the Cape fight that tore down entire buildings when the Shadow Spawn fought Lung of all people.

Absolute nutcases, but great people, shame that timeline had been too dicey to let roll.

Maybe I can see about running into them again some day soon, getting rid of Shadow Stalker should give me an in with Grue after all.

I shrugged and stepped off the bus, slipping into an alley to pull my Cape clothes from my rucksack.

Cloak swirling with a classic drama mask covering my face, as I walked up the hill to the entrance to the Palanquin.

Slipping past the line, the door, and silencing the doorman that was about to raise an objection to my garb and apparent age with the flash of a card bearing Faultline's mark.

I made my way past the crowd inside, drawing some attention, but not too much, I was a semi-frequent sight after all.

I needed to hand the card off to the bouncer at the bottom of the stairwell to the upper floor before I could pass him, but it didn't take long for him to confirm that it was genuine.

At the top of the stairs, I nodded a greeting to Newter, who was, as usual, sprawled on the sofa with a girl on each arm, both of them too blitzed to care who had walked up, or what Newter and I said. "Veer, my friend you here to see the boss lady? Or maybe.. ?" He waggled his eyebrows mostly jokingly, as I had never, at least to his memory taken him up on trying the drug his powers let him create.

They were, to be honest, absolutely amazing, but nothing about them meant I needed to keep that timeline going once they ran their course, so I never did.

"Here on business I'm afraid, Faultline wanted some help on trying to break her limit."

"She really does focus on that." Was his slightly aspirated response.

"She's a driven woman" I shrugged and made my way into the hallway at the back of the balcony.

I waved to Emily who was keeping watch over a small, almost comatose blonde inside the door to the right.

You wouldn't have guessed it, but the girl in the fugue state was one of the most powerful Shakers on the planet. When she got going, it was an amazing site to see.

Faultline had hired me once to see just what her limits were. One of the more high paying jobs I've ever taken, 90 hours of letting her spread her power over the entire club and street, and she could have made Lovecraft cry.

I opened the door at the end of the hallway, revealing Faultline herself sitting behind a solid oak desk that had her mask and a dozen over things laying on it. It gave the impression of disorganization, but she was anything but.

Her subordinate, Gregor the Snail, a monstrous cape 53 stood against the wall to the right. He was bald and had several scabs-like scales on his very pale skin, honestly looking like a monster. he wasn't sensitive over it but it had caused him to be rather withdrawn.

"Hello Veer." Faultline greeted me, with Gregor nodding his greeting, as I said, withdrawn.

"Hiya Faultline, how have things been?" She usually didn't say much if my power was active, or if she thought it was since she knew I would remember this and not her.

"As well as can be expected, no serious injuries on the last contract, I take it your power is running?"

Straight to that question, I would be offended if this wasn't simply how she is.

"Yep, welcome to what if land." I was mostly joking, but it was an easy way to reinforce what I had told her my powers were.

As far as Faultline knew, I had the power to simulate alternate timelines, to see the deviations from reality in the form of 'what-ifs'. Close to the truth, but different enough that her risk assessment of me was far lower than it would have been.

For example, she probably wouldn't have asked me to perform this job for her if she knew I had the choice of these events she had asked me here for becoming reality.

"So, ready to die?" I asked her with a smirk when she made no move to respond to me.

Gregor sighed. "Blunt, Veer, very blunt"

"No reason to sugar coat it, and its not like you will remember any of this anyway."

Faultline cut in "You are always blunt Veer, I seem to recall your report on Elle for instance…"

"One time! You say something one time and no-one ever lets you forget!" It was only one time, I swear.

Faultline grinned slightly, before looking to Gregor then handing a stopwatch to me and nodding. "Ready then, Gregor? Veer?" I took the stopwatch, checked it was set to zero and nodded.

"Second Trigger Test, Faultline, Strangulation, Set!" It earned me a glare, but it was worth it, and its not like she will know next time I speak to her.

Gregor wrapped one of his arms around her neck in a hold as she gripped the edge of her desk, waited for me to click the stopwatch, and then tightened his grip.

I watched as Faultline's arms came up, hitting his discolored skin, trying to dislodge what I knew to be abnormally strong limbs from her throat.

Her face flushed, gasping for air as her larynx was compressed, her struggles having little effect on the monstrous Cape.

Gregor could shrug off impacts from a car, and his leaders powers gave her nothing in terms of physical boosts.

Gregor increased the force, and I could almost hear her neck creaking.

She started to go limp, face tinged blue and I saw Gregor hesitate. "Harder, this is her last chance to do it." He closed his eyes as his arms tightened slowly, the last panicked struggles of her arms cutting through his clothes in flashes of red and blue, but leaving his skin unharmed.

_Crack_

Faultlines head slumped forward, her struggles ceasing suddenly.

Gregor let go immediately, turning her chair to look into her face, eyes wide and red, skin blue hued.

"F-Faultline?" I think that was the most emotion I had ever heard from the man.

I was pretty shaken up myself, I may have done some stuff in timelines I have dropped, but… it had never been to someone I had cared about, never to someone… someone I would have called a friend.

"Fo… forty se-seven seconds, Manton limit unbroken." I stuttered out, leaning heavily on the desk, looking away from her too still body.

Gregor looked at me, and I chose.

I was in my bed, breathing heavily. Shaking my head I pulled open my middle draw and turned on the mobile phone within, chewing on a fingernail as I waited for it to turn on.

That had shaken me more than I thought it would, but it wasn't real, not anymore.

Pushing the thoughts from my head I sent off a text to the number given to me by Faultline confirming that the job was done, and that I would be by tomorrow morning to give her a report.

The reply from her a few minutes later, consisting of a standard 'Good, see you then', set me at ease more than it should have but it helped me sleep knowing that she was still there that she hadn't…

It helped me sleep.

* * *

And there is the start of Coil!Taylor.

To explain the name, Veer sounds a bit like Seer, and it fits with both her actual powers, and the ones she is pretending to have.

Not sure I'm happy with how her mindset came out, it was hard to get it how I had pictured.

There was a lot of tone-shift as well, which I think would be lessened in an actual fic, since there would be more of the start, and the end would have more impact in contrast.


	4. What It Can Hold 1-1 Nasu

**What It Can Hold**

Worm/Nasu

**1.1**

* * *

There had been raised eyebrows when the thin, lanky teen had stepped into Armsmaster's group with nothing more than a drawn up hoodie, her actions meaning that she claimed she could fight Leviathan head on.

It was quickly overlooked however, since Capes practically embodied 'Don't judge by the cover'.

There had been a resurgence of looks when she had gave her name in a shy quiet voice to Dragon through the armband, 'Grail'.

That name had only been used once before, but it had not been used by someone with a description even slightly similar to the girl who was claiming it.

The previous claimant had been a giant of a man, armored in full plate and drowned in black and red light, looming over a crippled Lung holding a sword that seemed wreathed in shadow, before vanishing, leaving ABB's leader with injuries that still persisted before he had been deposited in the Birdcage.

No-one said anything in protest, if the girl was claiming that she could take on Leviathan and had taken down Lung, then she must be a Changer of some sort, right?

On the frontline they waited for the beasts emergence, staring out over the city and holding tense conversations which tried at being lighthearted, only to fail once the reality of the situation fell back upon them.

This was when the girl spoke, in a small voice for the second time since she had slipped into the convergence center.

"Leviathan… h-hes the water one… right?"

A scoff escaped a nearby capes throat, a tall member of the E88 looking down at the girl."What are you doing here kid? If you can't even remember what you are saying you can take on, what the fuck do you think you are doing claiming the name Grail? Are you even a real Cape?"

The girl shook her head slightly, seeming to curl in on herself even more so.

"I… I can't fight him, how would I? ...b-but They can, and I am the only one they can use for this, even if I am w-worthless by myself, they will be able to fight him, so I have to be here."

This provoked a curt response from the leader of the hand-to-hand group, Armsmaster,

"If you are a Master, then you should not be here, no matter how powerful the suits of armor you can summon are."

The girl just shook her head, hugging herself with both arms.

"I have to be here, I'm not good enough to free them properly, I'm not a proper Master... I'm just a Grail."

"A Grail?" Was the slightly curious but mostly irate reply.

"Like a cup, only good for what it can hold…"

Any further discussion was cut off by two simple, weighty words from the armbands.

"Leviathan sighted"

The report was punctuated by the ground quaking as a wave smashing into the barriers held by the group led by Bastion.

This seemed to shake the girl from her morose mood, head tilting towards the area the reports stated the oceanic monster was coming from.

"I, I guess this is close enough… Saber, I beseech thee"

A flick of her wrist, and with that her body exploded in a flash of blue and gold, sheer force clearing the area of debris as a golden haired women was revealed from within the light, garbed in a royal blue dress, padded with silver armor.

Her appearance was secondary to the aura that had whipped into existence, pure confidence replacing the shivering teenager. Her now emerald eyes locked on the source of the waves, a second blast of wind forming a distortion in her grasp.

"Prepare yourselves, the beast approaches"

Shockingly, Armsmaster didn't protest the blatant usurpation of his command, and not one of the previously cocky Capes said a word against her order, merely reading themselves.

Leviathan crashed into view moments later, a veritable ocean following in his wake.

The woman, Saber, did not even hesitate before rocketing from her position with a flex of her armored legs, accelerating faster than the majority of flyers as her strange distortion of a weapon came up in a ready position.

The Endbringer reacted instantly, a wave crashing at the women, who for all her sheer presence was still rather short of stature, a tidal wave crashing down at her.

And falling to the wayside, something far more esoteric than the monsters power demanding the knights safe passage, the wave parting before her path, her foot kicking off the side of the channel that had opened to draw level with Leviathans head.

A tornado erupted from her grasp propelling the creature back down the street, but even as such an event happened, not one person was able to focus on it.

No, their eyes were instead on what had been revealed in the knights grasp, a weapon that if called a sword could count it as an insult, It could not be called beautiful, for the description of "beautiful" would only dirty it.

Every single Cape that laid eyes upon it felt their spirits boosted, the fear and despair that had filled them annihilated by a song of Victory.

Even those that could not see it, every single soul that stood on this battleground felt it, and rose to the challenge presented.

For they now fought for a Victory that was promised.

_And the Grail gained another, minuscule, crack. _


	5. Grim Cooperation 1-2 DarkSouls

**Grim Cooperation **

Worm/Dark Souls

**1-1**

* * *

The next day was a Sunday, and I was still smiling when I stumbled down the stairs for breakfast, and Dad noticed.

"You seem chipper, good nights sleep?" he asked with a small smile.

"Something like that" I responded with a grin, glad that he didn't seemed as stressed as normal, things had apparently been getting a little better with the dock workers, not much, but a couple of building projects or something that was providing jobs.

After breakfast I headed out to the main street, planning on checking out a few stores for anything that I could use to upgrade my costume.

Considering that I didn't really ever plan on being physically present in a fight, I didn't need much more than I had. In fact, flash stuff would be more of a detriment than a help, but I did wish I somehow had enough money to order some of the low profile Tinker-tech armor from someone for the chance that I would end up in a fight personally. Just a hoodie made from Tinker materials, or some concealed body armor of the same would go a long way to increase my durability.

Speaking of costumes, I thought back to my current one as I browsed the local military surplus store, one a -**Try Here-** had brought me to.

My meagre costume consisted of, at the moment, a bandana, a dark hoodie, baggy combats with plenty of pockets, and a sturdy belt with more of the same. The only significant part other than the multitude of pockets was the concealed kevlar vest, with similar quality ballistic plates sewn into the combats. The boots were nice too, motorcycle ones, but a brand modified for daily wear, so I could run in them. It didn't look like anything special and there was nothing saying, 'Heres a Hero', but with my powerset that was for the best, I could look like a slightly shady teenager, have plenty of space to store my gear and my Shades could stand in for me.

Of course, getting those protections had blown nearly all the money I had been making at the dog racing that took place slightly out of town, using my messages to win more than lose.

It had been difficult to gauge how much I should win without outing myself as a Thinker, so gaining money had been slow going, but it had also helped with training myself at recognizing what the orange messages meant, so it was easily worth my time.

And of course, it had paid for my costume and helped cover for the possessions of mine the trio had destroyed like my school books, which meant I didn't have to trouble Dad over it, which had helped, at least on my end, with the… strain, that had been between us. Made me feel a little less guilty about it all anyway, which had the same effect.

After looking around for awhile, I found a pair of finger-less gloves that were a decent quality,and within my price-range, so I bought them and walked out of the store with a grin on my face, another piece found, and another use of my powers had turned out well for me.

Little things like this had been improving my general mood since I had gotten them, just little reminders that I had something special, that something was looking out for me and that even if only I could see it, they were real.

And they were mine.

Though they were no help when it came to trying to decide what I was going to do about, well, everything.

Cape's didn't tend to last long on their own, at least not in Brockton Bay.

They were either press ganged into one of the established groups, or taken out of commission by an established Cape.

They didn't like new members of the community, it threw the balance of power off.

I wanted to join the Wards, but that would mean telling Dad. And to convince him that I would be able to care of myself, even without constant watch by my, hopefully, future teammates? I needed experience.

So things like last night were necessary for more reasons than the obvious.

They were to practice with my Shades, to be able to read and interpret the messages fast enough to match other Thinkers. I needed to practice before even trying to join the Wards, if that was where I wanted to go.

Its the one I felt the best about joining even with the issues I could see, since I obviously wasn't going to be a Villain, I wasn't going to let the trio drag me to their level.

There were problems with the Hero-side groups however.

I was a Thinker and a Master, I could not engage in actual combat without my Shades.

And given that… it seemed stupid and risky to let anyone know that I wasn't my Shades.

New Wave was out for that reason, disregarding the fact it was pretty much a family only group, they practiced the idea of Capes being known, no hidden identities.

That would require me to reveal that I existed, that there was nice squishy target behind the silent Shades, and that just seemed idiotic.

The Wards, I hoped, would see that and let me play the pretense of being a… I dont even know, a Brute with some Mover?

Technical term doesn't really matter. I wasn't certain that they would though, and that kept them down as a Maybe, the first choice yes, but not one I wanted to take just yet.

Aside from them, there was the option of going Rogue, like Parian, a Cape with power over cloth and threads, but my powers didn't have any real applications in that sort of area, and in any case, I wanted to be out there making a difference, not doing childrens entertainment.

That brought me to my final option, Faultlines Crew, a group of mercenaries that danced the line between all three of the options a Cape could take.

They were down as a option I couldn't ignore, but one that I was hesitant to take due to some of the rumors from PHO about the jobs they had taken in the past.

I was however, sure that they would help me continue the rouse of the Shades being Capes in their own right, which kept them on the list.

I shook my head, finding I had wandered up the Boardwalk in my contemplation.

I suppose I'll have lunch in a cafe before dropping by the library to drop those sowing books back in.


	6. What It Can Hold 1-2 Nasu

**Taylor Interlude**

* * *

It was funny.

Not in a funny 'ha ha' way, not unless it was with maniacal laughter that ended with me crying my eyes out again.

I was a Cape, one of the 'Special' ones with powers beyond science's comprehension.

It should have been the happiest thing to happen to me since Emma stabbed me in the back

and invited crows to pick at my still bleeding body.

But no, my powers couldn't be like that, I didn't get to be like Alexandria, or Legend, or even like Lung.

No, that would be too much for fucking Taylor, no, my very power decided to rub my nose in the fact that I was useless, that I would never be able to stand on my own.

That maybe Emma had been right to abandon me when she found a new friend.

After all, all I can do is steal the true Heroes glory, copy the Legends they had wroth from fate with their blades, their rage, acts and will.

So much more than anything I could be, so much more than even the heroes of the protectorate were.

My problems meant nothing though. They could act again, after the end of their almost fairytale like legacies.

They were more like nascent gods than mere capes, but they needed a vessel.

I could be that vessel, I could find value from that.

I was, I suppose, trying to comfort myself when I found my name, Grail.

If I was to be a vessel to hold those that could not have a known value, as they surpassed anything but each other, then I would take the title of the ultimate vessel, the Holy Grail.

A few of them had sought it, those distant titans that sat upon their Throne.

And that meant I knew what it was, what it could hold…

Ha.

It truly was nothing but arrogance that had led to my claiming the title in the end I guess, but it felt Right.

The first time I touched the Throne, it nearly killed me.

I don't mean that in the way of it actually harming me, at least not in the normal meaning of harm.

Seeing it, and just hearing the faintest echoes of the achievements of they who resided there…

Even with everything that the trio had done, all of the abuse, the slightest glimpse of the Throne of Heroes and the Legends that sat upon it were enough to drive me to suicide in less than a second.

The sheer insignificance of everything I was when next to them, was like comparing a candle to the sun, like static to a lightning bolt, but more so.

They were not just larger than life, they were so much deeper as well.

It was the difference between a breeze and a tornado, these were… I wouldn't call them people, but the truly horrifying truth was this, they once were, these forces of nature, these godlings that rewrote the rules of what was possible, and did it with thousands of different forms of power, every single one of them burning with a purpose and will that would tear the world down if it dared stand in their way, were once mortals.

It was that more than anything that drove me to the edge, the fact that I could have been that, and was instead this… pathetic thing that let the trio and their followers walk over me.

And it was also what kept me from diving off that edge.

These Legends could walk once more, through me.

I can't let my selfishness stop that, they are needed too much.

So I walk, and summon them to overlay themselves on my body, mind and soul. The strain I feel is nothing compared to the burdens they carried individually, let alone together.

I am the Grail.

And even if it breaks me, through me, they shall wage War.


	7. Grim Cooperation 1-3 DarkSouls

**Grim Cooperation**

Worm/Dark Souls

**1.1**

* * *

**-Avoid Left-**

"Long way it is then." I muttered to myself.

I wondered what they had had planned for a few minutes as I took the long way out of school, slipping out an emergency exit.

The alarm it was meant to trigger had been broken for years, and I hugged myself as I walked past the cluster of students huddled around the area, far out of the view of the street and any windows of the school.

The smokers and allegedly worse ignored me like much of the school, only here it was more of a comfort than a cause of despair.

I made it off school grounds without any incidents thanks to my warnings, only having to duck behind a wall to dodge being spotted by one of Emma's 'friends'.

They had rarely managed to catch me since I had Triggered, but they tried to make up for it when they did so avoiding them became more important the longer it had been since they had.

My power made it easy enough though, Orange messages were scrawled across the floor and walls, I just had to read the signs and sometimes interpret them, since they seemed to be limited in someway, like having a small list of generic words and having to choose the best words from that to get their point across.

The source of whatever they were seemed to have a similar 'taste' to me though, so they were not that hard to figure out.

I boarded a bus to the downtown area shortly afterwards.

It had been a few days since my successful night out.

It still brought a grin to my lips thinking of it.

Tonight I planned to scout out for Faultlines Crew, they apparently either ran, or had an arrangement with a club somewhere in downtown.

Unfortunately, no-one seemed to bother mentioning where 'The Palanquin' was, and asking for the location seemed like an unnecessary risk on PHO. No location from my google search either.

So today I was going to have a walk around the area in the daylight, and have a look for the club.

I didn't plan to approach them until I had followed up on the rumors, but it seemed like a good idea to scout their base in advance, and if it was a club I could just walk in the door rather than need to have a Shade try infiltrating.

The mental image of it, a 6-7 foot tall, heavily armored and glowing figure trying to sneakily climb in a window like some sort of ninja made me laugh to myself out loud as I stepped off the bus.

I flushed at the looks I was getting for the laugh and quickly walked away from the bus stop.

It took me about half an hour of walking around, not seeing much of my messages before I came to the top of a hill, feeling rather irritable.

**-Behind You-**

And there it was.

I find it hard to believe I hadn't spotted that before it was pointed out to me, but nothing was lit up at this time in the afternoon, so I guess it is excusable.

After berating myself, I examined the event listings outside and quickly found a flaw in my plan of subtly observing the inside of the club.

A notice stating 'ID required for entry'.

That was going to be an issue, I may be tall, and I might not have the best figure, but at the same time I obviously was not 18, and of course I had no ID that would contradict that fact.

This could be an issue…

5 minutes later, I had a makeshift solution, if one that was not going to be anywhere near as informative as my previous one.

I will admit, my main reason for disliking this path is the headache it is going to give me when I start it up, but beggars can't be choosers.

I headed back down the hill to the bus stop, and memorised the route back to the Palanquin.

A good few hours later, well after sunset I returned, having jogged from home after confirming that Dad was sound asleep.

I was very thankful for the running I had taken up once I realised that I was the weak point of my powers, since the club was quite some distance away from home.

I stepped into the alley 2 buildings down from the club, glancing around for any looker-ons, but I spotted none.

I needed to be sure though, so I focused, and sought more than the glimmer of orange that I could see out on the pavement.

The ground, and the wall in front of me lit up.

**-Safe, but quick-**

**-Try Here!-**

**-Now! All!-**

All of them? There must be something, or someone nearby. I hurried, worse case it was Faultline herself, and I didn't fancy having a building dropped on me.

I shook my head and nodded to the messages, and to myself I suppose, and crouched down to trace a word into the ground, then repeated it twice more as the first lit up in a silver glow and expanded to a circle of shadowy light.

Three seconds later I was surrounded by heavily armored Shades in the dingy alley.

_Wait_

I walked from the alley, checking both ways, ignoring the building pressure in my temples.

Five minutes later I was sitting at a bus stop, and gave the order.

_Move to nearby buildings, make your way to the rooftops, get as much vision of the club as possible._

I checked in on each Shade one at a time as they moved to rooftops, my first had found a fire escape they could use.

The second had just broken into an abandoned building, and apparently scared the hell out of some rats but had gotten to the top floor easily and had a view of the front entrance so I ordered it to stay rather than trying to climb from the balcony.

The third, when I switched to it's point of view, was ignoring a pair of cowering teenagers and was making its way to a ladder. Damn it I really wished I could talk through my Shades.

_Scare them_

I watched from behind it's visor as the glowing sword was lifted into view and gestured towards the pair, causing them to flee the alley rapidly.

_Enough, up the ladder_

Sword sheathed it climbed the ladder and made it to the roof easily.

Now was the more difficult part.

_Watch and Stay_

I closed my eyes and opened all three other sets of senses available to me, the combination giving me near complete coverage of the club along with a spike of pain behind my right eye.

After a second to adjust, I had them alter their positions to be less visible from the ground, their shadowy forms blending into the night sky and darkness with ease.

I took the chance to alter my position, moving from the bus stop to an abandoned building on Lords Street, that the orange warnings marked as -Safe Here- and pulling a bottle of water, a pack of paracetamol and a sandwich from my rucksack.

I downed a pair of tablets,washed them down with some water then reopened my Shades sense's and settled in for a long watch.

About 3 hours later, after watching an impressive amount of people make their way inside the club, and nearly nodding off to the faint music I could hear emanating from it through my nearest Shade, I saw a rather obese man leaving the club.

He was bald and appeared to have several scabs on his exposed skin, when paired with his incredibly pale skin, it left him looking… honestly, looking like something from a horror film from Earth Alpha.

I wouldn't have paid him any more mind, but in my reading on Faultlines Crew a Cape had come up, Gregor the Snail, one of the monstrous Capes, a Case 53 as they were known.

And he was heading to the building my second Shade had taken up in.

Damn it, I needed to get closer, I can't see the signs when I was using the borrowed senses of a Shade, and I didn't want to risk engaging a Cape, especially one that I was considering joining!

I had covered half the distance, dropping my bottle and the half a sandwich I had left into my bag when he stopped in front of the building and spoke without any real emotion in his tone.

"Please come out, we know you are there."

Damn it, damn it, damn it!


	8. Shadow That Is I 1-1 Persona

**Shadow That Is I**

Worm/Persona

**1.1**

* * *

Lately it has seemed that Emma had been trying to take her game to a new level.

But this?

"...for a week."

_She dares?_

This was the last straw.

I fell back, letting Her rise up in my place to at the helm of my body, slowly blinking to cover the flicker of passing luminous yellow that shone through my eyes between heartbeats during the swap.

_What you could, if you were honest._

I watch, emotions dull as She spins off a series of poisonous lies built upon truths that I can barely remembered Emma telling me all that time ago, each barbed word staggering Emma back until She could just walk my body past her and out of the circle of her hanger-ons.  
It only took Her a smirk and a light tap on the shoulder to make Madison jump back like a mouse.

_Not worth more than that._

I struggle back towards the driving seat, no matter how much better at this She is than me, She is not M- Crap, I relinquish my growing grasp of control as Sophia steps from a classroom into the hall, hesitating in her step as a slightly confused and considering look crosses her face upon seeing me, very different from the smugness that used to paint her face when she looked at me.

This had become the norm lately, she always seemed to be contemplative rather than condescending when it was Her rather than Me when I encountered her.

_If you didn't hold back, she would have no hold on you._

The body language or something must be different enough, whatever the reason she backed down when She grinned at her with my face, and I could feel an undercurrent of amusement and… something else from Her as my form strode past the silent Sophia.

_What a pathetic excuse for a predator._

Assuming control again after She walked my body around the corner I nearly stumble, but experience in switching back in let me bleed off the almost static build up that She always left after piloting my flesh with a flick of my arms and a low buzz.  
She was more wasteful than me with my powers when She was in control, but I couldn't really deny that constantly having the energy flowing through my body was a rush that nothing else could equal.

_You want to be strong. Why do you deny it?_

Didn't change the fact that I didn't like letting Her take the lead when I was in school, but after what Emma said it was either that or break down, and I was not going to give them the satisfaction. It was still a risk though, if they managed to actually annoy Her, to push Her past annoyed? I would have been left scrambling to take back the drivers seat to stop Her from killing them.

_As you know they deserve._

It was scary how much She wanted to hurt them sometimes and if I let Her do it I would be the one blamed. Not that they wouldn't deserve… No, that line of thinking is bad, that is Her's.

**_Yours too._****  
**  
I shook my head and continued walking out of the school, thinking of my plans for the weekend.  
I have wanted to go out as a cape for awhile, but if I am letting Her out to deal with school bullies, whose to say that I wouldn't do the same when I run into gang members, or worse, Villains?

Until I could deal with them by myself, I don't honestly think I can go out as a Cape and trust myself not to back down and let Her deal with anything I ran into.

**_You can, just stop hiding._****  
**  
I shook my head, slightly violently. 'I am not like you, just… go away.'

**_You can't hide forever._****  
**  
She has backed off though, I can feel Her less, more faded when compared to the sensation of Her and I overlaying one another when She speaks.

I tried to name her once, Bisque, after the change in my eyes when She takes over.

She had not liked that.  
**"****_I am not this Bisque, I am You. I art Thou. Deny it if you wish, try and suppress me if you must._****  
****_But call me a name over than Taylor and I will deny anything you ask me._****"**

So as you can probably tell, She got Her way on that issue. Even though She isn't me, I do rely on Her quite a lot for various things like dealing with the Trio, and She is better at using the powers than me.

_Because I accept what we want._

I'm getting better though, this is the first time I let Her out in over a week, and I am slowly but surely coming to equal Her when it comes to my powers. She told me once, that I would have to 'Accept that we are One', that She was me and I Her.  
That there was no other way.

_There isn't._

I am going to prove Her wrong, I am not a monster like Her.

_We are the same, try not to judge so hastily._

I suppress memories of the Trio backing off, of the glimmer of satisfaction that seeing tears well in Emma's eyes had brought me, of the vindictive pleasure of watching Her flip the terms of the game Emma had made of our shared secrets.

_Thou art I_

She is wrong and I will prove it.

_And I art thou_

* * *

I am not happy with the messy way I used to show Taylor's thoughts, nor am I glad with the First person, present tense, POV I ended up using.  
Putting it up because I am not sure how to fix it, and I want to get some study done today with out my Muse poking me.

Edit  
Hasty modifications made, and I'm putting an explanation here since its even messier now.  
Middle Aligned + Italics = Taylor can not hear the Shadow, or is suppressing Her well enough that she takes no conscious notice.  
Left Aligned + Italics + Bold = Taylor can hear the Shadow.


End file.
